NORWICH — Nine months after being hired, Norwich Police Chief Wade Cochran has tendered his resignation. 

Cochran, who took over the department last October, notified the community at Wednesday’s Selectboard meeting that he has accepted a position in another police department. 

“It’s a career opportunity that I was offered, and honestly, I would be a fool to turn it down at this point,” Cochran said.

Cochran declined to identify his new employer, but he said in an interview that the job, which is in law enforcement, will offer more opportunities for career advancement and growth. 

“I love the town of Norwich and the citizens (but) it doesn’t have those growth opportunities,” Cochran said. 

Cochran said that professional development for the department as whole — including technology, equipment and training — can be difficult in smaller towns due to population size, funding limitations and the needs of a small town force. 

Cochran’s is the department’s second departure this summer. Officer Chelsea Maxham submitted her resignation on June 28, citing scheduling demands among her reasons for leaving. 

Cochran’s departure also worsens an already critical staffing shortage in the department, which will be down to one active officer when Cochran leaves on Aug. 8. 

The department is budgeted for a staff of five, including a police chief, three officers and an administrative assistant.

Cochran hired two new officers in February, one of whom was Maxham. 

In addition her resignation, a second patrol officer went on extended medical leave earlier this month and is not expected back for several weeks.

Interim Town Manager Brennan Duffy said on Wednesday that he and Cochran will be developing a short-term staffing plan, which may include acquiring coverage help from the Vermont State Police and departments in neighboring communities.

“It’s not the news anybody wanted to hear tonight and I’m sorry I had to be the one to say it, but that’s our reality right now,” Duffy told Selectboard members.

Cochran said he has reached out to his law enforcement colleagues in hope of finding someone to serve as an interim chief.

Cochran is the third police chief to leave Norwich in less than 2½ years. Jennifer Frank departed in March 2021 to take over leadership in the Windsor Police Department. Her successor, Simon Keeling, resigned in June 2022, after just six months on the job. 

Before his hire in Norwich, Cochran was a detective sergeant in the Montpelier, Vt. police department, where he had served since 2006.

Duffy praised Cochran for his accomplishments during his brief tenure, noting that the chief built an instant rapport with community members and worked to rebuild the ranks. The department had been down to a lone officer when Cochran was hired. 

Early on, Cochran advocated strongly for increasing officer wages and benefits to be more competitive with other area departments. 

Norwich’s starting wages for officers — between $22 and $24 per hour, depending on certification level — are below par in the Upper Valley. Hanover’s starting pay for certified officers is $26 per hour and Hartford’s hourly starting pay ranges between $25 and $27. 

Windsor, which has a similarly sized population to Norwich, has a starting pay range between $23 and $28 per hour depending on experience. 

Cochran also urged the Selectboard to increase the budget to hire additional police officers to enable the department to provide continuous 24/7 coverage, including when officers are on vacation or in training.

The board’s lack of action to fund additional hires has resulted in a backlash from some residents.

At Town Meeting in March, voters supported an advisory article, 681-574, asking the Selectboard to consider the hiring of an additional full-time police officer.

On Wednesday, Selectboard members said they would consider funding a fifth police officer in the next town budget, which would cover the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024.

“I, for one, would like to have a stable police force so we can get onto other business that needs to be done … but how we get there is a little complex,” Chairwoman Marcia Calloway told residents. “You only get to use the money you have in your budget. If our budget has excess this year and we decide we could afford another officer, that would be a question for the board.”

The Selectboard is currently negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the police union.

The board continued the contract discussion on Wednesday in a nonpublic executive session.

But some residents worry that delaying police funding will result in low department morale, driving out other officers and making it harder for Norwich to recruit. 

Resident Wayne Kniffin, a vocal proponent of adding an officer position, said he was not surprised to hear about Cochran’s resignation. 

“It was so obvious that this was going to happen,” Kniffin told the board. “You did not support the police force in a way that was necessary to support a quality force. And if you don’t change what you are doing, you are never going to get one.”

Patrick Adrian may be reached at padrian@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.

CORRECTION: Chelsea Maxham is the officer who resigned from the Norwich Police Department in June. A previous version of this story misspelled her last name.